Most Canadians agree: charities important in filling society’s gaps

Most Canadians agree (25% strongly, 47% somewhat) that
charities play an important role in society as a change agent to address needs
not being met by government or the private sector, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll. The Association of Fundraising Professionals
launched the survey last November and released it in conjunction with its
international conference in Vancouver at the end of March.

Seven in ten respondents say they've made a financial
donation to charity or a nonprofit organization in the past twelve months, with
Albertans (79%) and Atlantic Canadians (78%) being the most likely to say so.
Those over the age of 55 are most likely (83%) to have donated, followed by
those aged 35 to 54 (67%) and 18 to 34 (58%).

Most Canadian donors give to more than one cause, with 14%
giving to six or more. Most give to 2-3 (43%) or 4-5 causes (18%), while just
one quarter of the 70% who have made a donation only give to one charity.

Why Canadians give

Canadians give first and foremost to help those in need
(44%). Other reasons include knowing the charity does good work (34%), wanting
to give back to the community (23%), that it's the right thing to do (22%),
that the charity has a good reputation (22%), a gift in memoriam (19%), it
feels good (18%), to support friends, family (18%), and for a tax receipt
(18%).

One in ten say they donate because they've been personally
affected by what the charity does, that they've benefited from those services
and want to give back, and that it's a part of their religious beliefs.

What Canadians expect

Canadians have some strong opinions about how charitable
organizations should operate.

Nine in ten agree (50% strongly, 41% somewhat)
that charities should have a strategic plan for how they intend to achieve
their objectives.

Most agree (40% strongly, 46% somewhat) that charities
that address similar issues should work together and share plans and resources.

Eight in ten agree (34% strongly, 48% somewhat)
that charities should strive to maintain a certain level of standards by
measuring their performance and comparing themselves to benchmarks.

Some donors support
management excellence

While a majority (78%) of Canadians are closer to the
opinion that nonprofits should spend less money on administration and more on
the causes they support, 22% align more closely with an opposite point of view,
supporting the idea of a nonprofit using donations to attract and retain
well-trained, experienced management to lead the organization effectively.

Three-quarters (74%) believe that charities should spend
resources on more innovative ways to increase donations, while just one-quarter
(26%) are close to the opinion that charities should continue to spend
resources on traditional ways of fundraising.

Impact sought, not
always presented

Eighty-three percent of Canadians need to know a charity's
purpose before they donate, and a similar proportion want to know if their
donation made an impact. However, just one in three is actually aware if the
charities they support have come closer to achieving their objectives.

Two in three (63%) agree that the charities they support should
invest in pamphlets, brochures and publications that show their impact on the
community they serve and the cause they support.